Portable folding bed



April 10, 1928,

- C. LOFMAN PORTABLE FOLDING BED Filed Sept. 30. 1925 Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED. STATES PATE NT OFFICEQ CHARLES LOFMAN, 01F LOS A'NGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 ROBERTI BROS., OF

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA. Y

PORTABLE FOLDING BED.

Application filed September 30, 1925. Serial No. 59,570.

As may be inferred from the above designation, this invention relates to beds such as are adapted to stand upright in a closet,

or the like, when not in use, and to be moved out, upon a truck comprisedin the bed organization, into any desired location, before the bed frame, carryingv springs and a mattress, is swun into a substantially horizontal position of use.

It being a common fault of beds of the general character referred to, each comprising a castered truck upon which a bed frame pivoted, that they are liable to be tipped by an unskillful effort to swing the bed frame from an upright position toward a horizontal position (the danger referred to being especially serious if the organization happens to be supported by a floor which isnotperfectly level, or if the mentioned movement is hastily executed) it is a primary object of this invention toprovide improved and genuinely automatic means, preferably comprising an arm mounted on said truck for movement in a horizontal plane and a cam on the mentioned bed frame, effective to provide an enlarged base for the described organization during the lowering of the mentioned bed frame toward a horizontal position; and advantageous embodiments of my invention may comprise bed frames equipped with springs of a somewhat special and improved type, as hereinafter described.

Other objects of my invention may be best appreciated from the following description of an advantageous embodiment thereof, taken in connection 'with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 may be regarded as a side elevational view of a bed organization illustrating one form of niy invention, parts being broken away, and the horizontal position to which the bed frame may be swung for actual use being suggested by dot-and-dash lines. I

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, with parts broken away, this View being taken in a plane such as that indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a'vertical tially as indicated by, the line 3+3 of Fig. 2, with parts'broken away.

' Fig. 4 is a perspective sectional detail view, with parts broken away, taken sub.

section, taken substanstantially as indicated bythe arrows 1 of Figs. 2 and 3. Referring to the details of that specific embodiment ofmy invention chosen for'the purpose of illustration, 11 may be a substantially rigid truck, shown as supported by casters 12 near the respective'corners thereof and as comprising a substantially horizontal frame which includes longer horizontal frame elements 13, 13, connected by shorter outside horizontal elements 1 1,1 1 and by intermediate horizontal elements 15, 15', the said truck optionally comprising also an upright and overarching frame element 16, which may occupy a position, and be characterized by an appearance, render ing the same comparable to the head-board of an ordinary bed. As shown, the outside elements of the described truck frame are formed from angle iron, and the intermediate horizontal elements 15, 15' may be formed of a similar rolled stock or from a shallow channel stock, only the overarching element16 being shown as formed of arectangular tubular stock, suitably bent; and the described truck, or its equivalent,'may comprise also substantially vertical pivot posts17, 17 shown as secured to the shorter horizontal frame elements 14, '14 and as reinforced by braces 18, 18' extending downward therefrom toward the front of thementioned. truck frametheme of substantially horizontal diagonal braces 19, extending across some or all of the corners of the frame 11, being optional and dependent upon the dimensions and consequent strength of the angle stock, or its equivalent, employed in the construction of said truck.

Coming now to the more unique features of my invention, I show a horizontally movable member or base-enlargingbrace 20 as pivoted at 21 to one of the intermediate horizontal elements 15, 15 in such manner as to provide a lever whose longer arm 22 may carry, at or near its outer end, a rolling or gliding element 23, and whose inner and shorter end 24c may have a configuration adapting it to be moved in a horizontal plane by means such as a suitable cam or cams provided on the frame of a bed, supported by the mentioned posts 17, 17. If desired, the inner end or shorter arm 24: of the mentioned l-ever'may be provided with resilient means such as a tension spring 25, tending preferred manner and'adapted to'enter an aperture or cup 27 in the arm 22, the interengageinentbetween the ball 26 and the socket 27,01 their equivalents beingje-il'ective releasably to 1101s the ar1n22 in its indicated outer position, whenever thefsame is ad vanced thereto by means such as the cams hereinafter described, or the spring 25.

Supporting-one end thereof, asthe head end,"by means such as pivots 28 at the upper ends of the post sl'f, I may secure to the! described truck, or its equivalent, a bed" name comprising usual parallel side elements 29, 29, and transversely extending; end elements SOQthe side elements 29, 29"

beingshown as providedwith brackets 31,

31", through which the pivots'28, 28 extend. In order 'to provide a resilient support for a mattress extending parallel with theplane' of the mentioned bed frame, or its equiva lent, I may employ suitable springs, preferably off the novel type herein? illustrated, securing a mattress relatively thereto by any preferred means, as by means includinga special'niattress stop comprisingabent tubular element 32, shown as secured at its ends to the mentioned end element 30.

Between the rebntend portions 34, 34 of the tubular element 32 I mayysecure a reinforcingelement 35, shown as an angle bar extending parallel with the element's 30 and as having welded thereto n'iinor rein; forcing bars36, eXtendingto-t-he intermedi ate'portion of the tubular element 32 and providing an end stop for any mattress supported uponthe' spring organization here ina fterdescribed, or its equivalent. 'Ioassist i shifting the described bed frame, or its equivalent, from a substan tially horizontal position, such as thati'n which it is shownin, dotted lines in Fig-i 1, toward; a substantially upright position, such as that in which it is shown in :full lines in said figure, I may employ means such as a set of tension springs 37, shown as ex tending between the mentionedlonger frame element 13 of the truckll and an angle element 33 extending parallel with the in her transverseframe element 30, and as se cured at its ends thereto; and in-orderth at a pivotal movementof the bed frame upon the pins 28, or their equivalents,-may be eil ective' to' impart movement to the described brace oi lever 20, or its equivalent, Ilihay use ealn means of the general charac teeter? showman Fig 2, 3 and 4:.-

is may; anima ing th d as end and the inattresseretainingl elements 30 and-35 byashort sectio or sections38, 38

of angle'iron, or the like, I may attach to one of these-short. SfJGtIQIISyiISIO the side flange 39 of the section 38, a pair of cooperating cam fingers 40 and ll, that linger (40) whichisalnore remote from the center of rotation which is provided by the pins 28 b'e'iiigthelongln"of-the two, and the interval between the mentioned fingers being substantially the same as the width of that curved portion of the arin 24 of the lever The said fingers may be respectively provided with canr surfaces which incline backward and downward in such manner that whenever 20 which extends therebetween.

the deseribedb ed frame is started from a substantially vertical positiontoward a horizontal position, the cam surface 42, of the finger 41; as said finger swings toward the duce" an opposite movement, restoring the arm or lever20 toitsposition-ot conceal ment beneaththe' truck ll, orits' equivalent. Aswilllbe appreciated from the foregoing, the" n odeoi operation f of the" above described featuresof my invent-ion is such that whenever "the prospective user, 'haviugtrun- 'dled the entireorganlzationon its Jdescrlbed truck to I anintended' location of use, grasping the t'oporfbotot the bed frame,starts to pull thefsame downward toward a hori zontal position, the airn122, provided with the mentioned rolling or] gliding'inexnber 23, is immediately forced outward,'- this move ment being initiatedby the cani' finger' ll and completed, by the spring 35, although limited by? such means as the engagement of the ball 26 within, the cup or opening 27 or by actual c'on'tact oflone of tliejarms of the as the bed frameapproaches the last men super osition-.4 f r s Instead of using; ineonju tion ywitnthe deSCllbflCtPfil't-S, or; their equivalents; a freely "removable complete springj or anization travel independent time (whitish weul i add unduly to the weight of the organization) I prefer to provide my novel beds with sets of springs permanently secured to bed frames of the general character above described. For example, as best indicated in Figures 1 and 5, I may secure to the bed frame elements 29, 29, or their equivalents, as by means of bolts or rivets 45, transverse spring-supporting members 46, which may be in the form of fiat bars disposed edgewise beneath rows of spiral springs, such springs being secured in any suitable manner to a secondary spring frame 49.

Although I have herein described a single complete embodiment of my invention, it should be understood not only that various features thereof might be independently used, but also that numerous modifications might be devised, by those skilled in the art to which this case relates, WithOllt: the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of my invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

7 1. In an organization of the general char acter described: a truck frame adapted to remain substantially horizontal while moved from place to place, as on casters; a bed frame pivotally connected therewith to permit shifting the same between an upright position of disuse and a substantiallyhorizontal position of use; an arm adapted to engage the floor forwardly of the truck frame, said arm being mounted on and laterallymovable relatively to said truck to prevent tilting thereof; resilient means tending constantly to throw said arm outward; and means on said bed for automatically moving said arm relatively to said truck whenever said bed is shifted between said upright position and said substantially horizontal position, said last mentioned means comprising camming fingers secured to said bed frame and adapted to engage an arm rigidly connected with the mentioned arm.

2. In an organization of the general character described: a truck frame adapted to remain substantially horizontal while moved from place to place, as on casters, a bed frame pivotally connected therewith to permit shifting the same between an upright position of disuse and a substantially horizontal position of use; an arm adapted to engage the floor forwardly of the truck frame and laterally movable relatively to said truck to prevent tilting thereof; resilient means tending constantly to throw said arm outward; and means on said bed frame for automatically moving said arm relatively to said truck Whenever said bed is shifted between said upright position and said substantially horizontal position, said last mentioned means comprising camming fingers secured to said bed frame and adapted to engage an arm rigidly connected with the mentioned arm and therewith forming a lever which is pivotally secured beneath said truck frame.

3. In an organization of the general charbrace member pivotally mounted on said truck frame, and cam means, projecting from the inner end of said bed frame, ar-

ranged. to engage said brace member for automatically moving one end of said brace member inwardly and outwardly during final and initial portions of the upward and downward movements respectively, of the bed frame.

5. In an organization of the general character described,a truck frame, a bed frame pivotally mounted thereon, a floor engaging brace member pivotally"mounted on said truck frame, means on said bed frame arranged to engage said brace member for automatically moving one end of said brace member outwardly, from said truck frame during the movement of said bed frame from vertical to horizontal position, means on said bed frame for engaging said brace member,

to give an initial inward movement of the brace member on raising the bed frame and resilient means tending constantly to throw said brace member outwardly.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los -Angeles, California, this 12 day of September, 1925.

CHAS. LOFMAN. 

